A Pro’s Guide To Cut Lists

It’s a classic beginner blunder: you follow
a published cut list for a project, carefully
sizing all the parts as stated. Then,
when you go to assemble them, you find
that a lot of them don’t fit. This can be an
expensive mistake if you’ve miscut premium
lumber, and it’s a perfect example
of how cut lists can be misused. The first
rule about cut lists is simple but critical:
no matter how precise you try to be, discrepancies
creep in during a build, and
adjacent parts need to be fitted to suit as
you go along. Welcome to woodworking.

Used correctly, a cut list can be a great
aid in part layout, confirming key dimensions,
and estimating lumber needs. It
can also indicate the order of construction,
and serve as a record of the build
(including corrections), should you
decide to make the project again. If you
have a complicated piece of furniture in
the works that you have to set aside for
periods of time, a cut list can be invaluable
at reorienting you when you finally
step back into the shop.

Here, I’ll explain my approach to
making and using cut lists, including
the concept of “relative dimensioning.”
Once you understand cut list basics,
you’ll be able to customize an approach
to suit your own working habits, which
will improve as you start moving out of
the beginner’s circle.

Cut list and drawings work together

In the journey of building something,
a drawing is the map that will get
you there, and it works hand-inhand
with a cut list. A drawing
doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs
to show the parts and provide the
key dimensions that determine the
overall size of the project. Whether
you make the drawing yourself or
use a published plan, it’s important
to double-check the measurements
as you feed them into a cut list.

When configuring your cut list,
arrange the parts in a sequence that
makes sense to you. I list all solid
wood parts first, followed by sheet
good materials. Each part gets a code
(which I write on the boards to identify
the parts there), on the cut list noting
the quantity of each piece. Then list
the finished thickness, width, and
length of each piece, based on your
drawing. Make sure to include tenons
or other integral part extensions. Some
woodworkers include a column for
“rough” sizes, adding a certain amount
to each dimension for initial layout.
I don’t bother; I just add the extra
allowance when laying out the rough
pieces. Following the dimensions
column, note the type of wood for
every piece in the “materials” column.

My cut lists include 2 check mark columns. I use these to mark my progress
during layout of both the rough and
finished pieces in turn. Finally, the
“Notes” column provides a place to
record specific layout directions or other
comments. Here, for example, you can
note to lay out legs on riftsawn stock
(for straight grain on adjacent faces),
to use the prettiest stock for prominent
parts like tops or case sides, or to resaw
thick stock to yield multiple pieces.

Width vs. length: it’s in the grain.

Convention dictates that part dimensions be listed in the
order of thickness × width × length. If you’re confused
between width and length, follow the grain; its direction
indicates the length of the piece. With plywood, use
the grain direction of the face veneer as your cue.

Layout tips

As you lay out your parts to rough size, mark them with the cut list
part code, drawn with chalk or a lumber crayon.

When appropriate, note on the lumber if a piece is meant to yield
multiple parts, for example, from resawing.

Check off laid out parts on the cut list. (For multiples, use hash marks
to record individual parts as you tick them off.)

To avoid confusion later, mark any waste or excess stock as such.

Using your cut list along with an accompanying drawing, initially
lay out your project parts at least 1" longer and 1⁄4" wider than their
finished sizes. Then let the parts sit stickered for at least a few days
before you start milling them to their final sizes.

Relative dimensioning: sizing
parts to suit previous cuts

When you’re ready to cut parts to their final
sizes, it’s important to establish the order of
work because only “key” parts are initially cut
to the finished sizes shown. Other “relative”
parts will be fitted as you build, sizing them
to suit particular dimensions of previously
constructed adjacent parts. It’s good to puzzle
all this out before starting a project build. If it
helps, you can list the key parts in the “notes”
section of the cut list as a reminder that you
can immediately dress them to their final sizes.

With this simple base cabinet, the sides are “key
parts,” which can be made to their stated cut list
size, since they establish the case height and depth,
and don’t need to be fitted to anything else.

The length of the top and bottom is a “key dimension”
because it establishes the case width and isn’t
dependent on any other dimension. The width of
the two parts, however, is relative to the length of
the rabbet at the top and the dado at the bottom.

The width of the face frame rails and
stiles can be considered a key dimension,
but the parts should ultimately be cut to
a length that’s relative to the width and
height of the projecting face of the case.

The case back width is relative to the distance
between the rabbets in the case sides, and the
height is relative to the distance from the top of
the case to the underside of the case bottom.

2 Comments

Simple tips, right on point and clearly explained and illustrated. Excellent!

DC from Rich Creek

Feb 27, 2018 5:34 PM

As one who likes to cut board from trees in my own small forest, this is "great to know" information. Although I know much of this, I forget things. This will become a "go-to" reference before I start the cutting. Thank you!